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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. land — to come down
  4. game — a match
  5. firm — decided
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. land — a country
  9. firm — steady
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — ground
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. firm — a company
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com